Disaster Planning

Disaster Planning is about developing the ability to respond to an interruption in services by restoring an organization's critical business functions.  In essence, this is business continuity planning.  Disaster recovery for computer systems and services is only one component of an effective business continuity plan.

Disaster Planning

Disaster planning is meant to include the planning and preparations which are necessary to minimize loss and ensure continuity of the critical business functions of an organization in the event of disaster. 

Disaster planning has taken on a new sense of urgency in light of recent terrorist attacks and the increased threat of hackers, computer viruses, and the increasing occurrence of emergencies and disasters.

Disaster planning is a crucial component of enterprise risk management and business continuity planning. It is essential for ensuring continuity of operations.  Prior to the creation of a disaster plan, it is essential to review the entire business continuity plan and to consider the potential impacts of disasters.  A business impact analysis must be performed so that you can understand the underlying risks.  This comprehensive planning process is the foundation upon which a sound disaster plan should be built. 

The Disaster Planning Process

The first step in the disaster recovery process is to perform a business impact analysis that considers all of the the potential impacts from each type of disaster.  Disaster Recovery Plans should consider how to deal with these possible events:

• Natural Disasters (Earthquake, Fire, Flood, Storms)
• Terrorist Acts (Weapons of Mass Destruction)
• Power Disruptions, Power Failure
• Computer Software or Hardware Failures
• Computer Shutdowns due to Hackers, Viruses, etc.
• Processing Shutdowns
• Labor Strife (Walkouts, Shutdowns)

Having determined the potential events you must next look at the impacts of each event and the magnitude of the resulting disruptions.  This critical activity will determine which scenarios are most likely to occur and what recovery processes are needed.

Disaster Plan Contents

The key components of a disaster plan include:

• Threat Analysis

• Risk Assessment

• Mitigation Steps (disaster prevention and damage reduction)

• Response and Recovery Plans

• Damage Assessment Process

• Salvage Procedures 

• Rehabilitation Plans

Disaster Recovery Plan

A typical disaster plan would include the following elements:

• Emergency Sheet: a simple summary of steps to be taken and individuals to be contacted in an emergency.

• Table of Contents: should be generated based on headings.

• Introduction to the plan: its purpose, process, and organization

• Structure of the Planning Organization: includes the plan maintenance process and the roles and responsibilities of team members.

• Departmental Responsibilities: addresses the responsibilities of various departments such as human resources, administration, facilities, and information technology. 

• Pre-disaster Actions: outline of procedures to be followed in advance of emergency for which there is advance warning (e.g., hurricane, flooding), including assignment of responsibilities for those actions.

• Specific Response and Recovery Plans: These plans provide, at the functional level, the steps to be taken to maintain services and to recover normal operations.  These plans summarize the procedures to be followed in the plan scenarios as well as other emergency incidents.

Appendices

Appendices to the plan generally include notification lists and other items that must be routinely updated.  Some examples are:

• Notification Lists: names and numbers of employees and vendors that will need to be contacted, including office and home numbers, and next of kin. s

• Recovery team members: list of recovery/salvage team members (including work and home phone numbers), with description of their responsibilities, scope of authority, and reporting lines.

• Detailed building plans: may be incorporated by reference.

• Resource lists: locations and inventory of emergency supplies, sources of commercial supplies/equipment that may be purchased, names of consultants and other specialists, sources of auxiliary/volunteer personnel, etc. 

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster preparedness means being prepared for anything. Good planning and preparedness activities can significantly reduce the impact of a disaster and may prevent business failure.  While a disaster plan is a key component of preparedness, it is not enough to protect you.  You must take all of the steps necessary to mitigate and to prepare for disasters.  This includes procuring the necessary emergency equipment and services.  Your disaster recovery plan must be integrated with your overall enterprise continuity management approach and must be tested through drills and exercises that test your plans, your people, and your tools.

Pages

Business Continuity Management

Emergency Management

Articles

What Now? - Best-Laid Plans

Disaster Planning....Who Needs It? Part One - Part Two

Sample Disaster Plans

Download a sample contingency plan in Word format

Disaster Recovery Sample Plans

Disaster Recovery Plan Model 

Contingency Plan Outline 

DR Project Plan Outline 

Sample DRP

Sites

Disaster Preparedness Information from FEMA

Disaster Recovery Journal - includes a disaster recovery glossary

Disaster Information Resources Program - Volunteers in Technical Assistance

The Disaster Resource Guide 

Disaster Resources

The Disaster Center

Internet Disaster Information Network

Emergency Preparedness Information Exchange

University of Wisconsin - Disaster Management Center

The Natural Hazards Center, located at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA, is a national and international clearinghouse for information on natural hazards and human adjustments to hazards and disasters.

Disaster Recovery Planning - this book examines the causes of computer system failures, and explains how to create a disaster recovery plan to prevent disasters or minimize the impact of disasters that cannot be avoided. It provides a detailed analysis of disaster avoidance systems and also covers the politics of disaster recovery planning.

Avoiding Disaster: How to Keep Your Business Going When Catastrophe Strikes By John Laye. Five stars! A must read for everyone who wants to ensure the protection and the continuity of their business.

See other Continuity Management Books